Not Just About Shamrocks and Shillelaghs

September is one of our favorite months at Donegal Square. The cooler days and nights are perfect for our cozy sweaters, the beautiful new products we ordered at the spring trade shows for fall delivery are arriving daily, and best of all…it’s time for Celtic Classic! The 31st annual Celtic Classic is happening September 28-30 […]

The ancient Celtic calendar has four festival days: Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Samhain. Lughnasadh falls on August 1 and marks the transition from Summer to Autumn as well as the beginning of harvest season. Concidentally, “Lughnasadh” is the modern Irish word for the month of August. Four Festivals The ancient Celts marked the seasons with […]

July 12, Orangemen’s Day or simply The Twelfth, commemorates the victory of Prince William of Orange (a Protestant) over James II (a Catholic) at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. The celebration is held by the Orange Order, a Protestant fraternal organization. Why Orange? The colors of the Irish tricolor flag are easily recognizable: […]

Field Hockey Led to Donegal Square? Yes, it did! Neville Gardner, our fearless leader at Donegal Square and McCarthy’s Red Stag Pub, was once a young lad who was quite good at field hockey. So good, in fact, that he played for the Irish national team! In 1978, he was at a hockey tournament in […]

This well-known rhyme outlines Celtic wedding traditions: “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a sixpence in your shoe”. Brides still include these items on their wedding day to ensure a successful and prosperous marriage. There are many Celtic wedding traditions and superstitions; these are just a few of them! To learn more about […]

Taking a break from “Royal Wedding Watch” here by looking at traditional love symbols of the Celtic World. It would be fun if Harry and Meghan (yes, we are on a first-name basis) incorporated some into their big day tomorrow! Probably the most recognized love symbol, the Claddagh, comes from Ireland. Scotland and Wales are […]

March 27 is International Whisk(e)y Day. Whiskey is beloved by many and has been called the greatest drink in the world, even the “Water of Life”. To the whiskey novice or non-whiskey drinker, however, it seems a bit daunting. Is there an “e” in the word whisk(e)y or not? What is the difference between bourbon, […]

They say everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, which is ironic because Saint Patrick himself was not even Irish. Very little is actually known about the life of Saint Patrick, although many myths and misperceptions persist and surface this time of year. Much of what is known about Saint Patrick comes from two documents: […]

People often refer to Donegal Square as “the Irish store”. In fact, we represent many of the Celtic nations, including the small but mighty Wales! March 1 is St. David’s Day celebrating the patron saint of Wales who is said to have died on that day in the year 589. Welsh Symbolism Several symbols are […]

January 28 to February 3 is Winter Restaurant Week in Historic Bethlehem. McCarthy’s Red Stag Pub is serving special lunch and dinner menus that offer an excellent value on great food in a cozy atmosphere. It is a great opportunity to get downtown to dine and shop local! Donegal Square is sweetening the deal! Save […]

Slate is a natural material over 500 million years old. It is heavy and can be uneven and rough; in a way, it is perfectly imperfect. Splate, a new Irish company out of Maynooth in County Kildare, harnesses this beautiful imperfection with its handcrafted slate wall art. Bernie Everard, the founder of Splate, explains […]

If you’ve never been to a Burns Night Dinner, it really is something to behold. Few dining experiences are as steeped in tradition as this. It is truly a feast for the senses. Listen to bagpipes and addresses by the host, see the guests proudly wearing their Scottish finery, and taste the delicious food and […]

Owner Neville Gardner opened Bethlehem’s Donegal Square on Main Street in 1985. The store now sits in front of McCarthy’s Red Stag Pub and Whiskey Bar. Watch the full video here http://www.mcall.com/business/outlook/85972734-132.html

Neville Gardner opened Donegal Square in 1985 with the hopes of bringing Celtic culture to the Lehigh Valley. Since then, he has opened McCarthy’s Red Stag Pub & Whiskey Bar and helped launch the Celtic Classic festival. Between the traditional and innovative products he sells at the shop, the family recipes served at the pub […]

If you’ve never been to a Burns Night Dinner, it really is something to behold. Few dining experiences are as steeped in tradition as this. It is truly a feast for the senses. Listen to bagpipes and addresses by the host, see the guests proudly wearing their Scottish finery, and taste the delicious food and […]

Even though Pennsylvania is considered an enclave of Moravian and PA Dutch heritage – the first settlers to the Lehigh Valley and Bethlehem in particular were Scots Irish. That first wave of emigrants pre-dates the 1742 Moravians and arrived in 1728 to build the Craig settlement in Northampton County. The pioneering spirit of the Scotch […]

If you’ve never been to a Burns Night Dinner, it really is something to behold. Few dining experiences are as steeped in tradition as this. It is truly a feast for the senses. Listen to bagpipes and addresses by the host, see the guests proudly wearing their Scottish finery, and taste the delicious food and […]

January 28 to February 3 is Winter Restaurant Week in Historic Bethlehem. McCarthy’s Red Stag Pub is serving special lunch and dinner menus that offer an excellent value on great food in a cozy atmosphere. It is a great opportunity to get downtown to dine and shop local! Donegal Square is sweetening the deal! Save […]

If you’ve never been to a Burns Night Dinner, it really is something to behold. Few dining experiences are as steeped in tradition as this. It is truly a feast for the senses. Listen to bagpipes and addresses by the host, see the guests proudly wearing their Scottish finery, and taste the delicious food and […]